Other Illnesses: researchers have reported that IBS may be caused by various bacterial infections in the gastrointestinal tract. Studies show that people who have had gastroenteritis sometimes go on to develop IBS

Gas or pressure on your intestines

Foods

Many people find that their Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms become worse when they eat certain types of foods.

In fact, some people are so sensitive to a range of foods that they must eat virtually the same foods, in the same proportions, at the same times each day or suffer the consequences.

Surveys of IBS sufferers regularly find that almost two thirds believe that a dietary allergy or intolerance was at least partly to blame for their IBS symptoms.

The role of food allergy or intolerance in irritable bowel syndrome hasn’t been well researched. Indeed, it is a difficult subject to research. The same food may have different effects on different people, and there can also be delayed reactions or variations in effect caused by the combinations of food eaten.

Some researchers suspect that food may not be a trigger for IBS at all. Instead, they suspect that the actual process of eating may be the trigger because chewing stimulates the colon.

If you experience cramping and bloating mainly after eating dairy products, caffeine drinks, or sugar-free gum or candies, then the problem may not be Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Instead, your body be intolerant to the sugar (lactose) in dairy products, or to caffeine or artificial sweeteners. Reduce or eliminate these items from your diet and see if they relieve the symptoms.